It's been approximately seven years since Swedish indie-electronic outfit Little Majorette graced our ears with "Wonder," their thoughtful, melancholic collaboration with Pontus Winnberg. The band struck a chord with and attracted a loyal following a decade ago with the release of its debut album, Rifle Heart (2011), which included standout singles, "Bite the Bullet" and "Never Be the Same." Little Majorette opened for Miike Snow on their first European tour, were A-listed on radio and hailed as ones to watch by the New York Post. The band racked up some prime synch placements on US TV shows such as Girls, Revenge, Suburgatory, Mistresses, Famous in Love, Greys Anatomy and Swedish film Snabba Cash.
The band took some time out in 2015 and disbanded. In the years that followed, the musicians behind Little Majorette began to explore various creative outlets. Petter Winnberg and Nils Törnqvist formed Swedish indie collective Amason, along with participation in other music projects, while lead vocalist Zoe Durrant continued songwriting, contributed her signature vocals to songs with other artists, and released a stunning solo EP, Island (2017).
Fast forward to the 20's, the onset of the pandemic and an atmosphere in which many musicians found the time, space and energy to renew and refine their creative juices. It was during this period that Zoe decided to release new music without her fellow comrades and took the helm of Little Majorette. In the new incarnation of the band, Zoe Durrant has collaborated with friend and fellow musician Peter Ågren from Swedish band, The Amplifetes, to produce some dreamy indie pop tunes.
"Not Mine" is the first song out of the gate. And let me tell you that this Little Majorette single is a winner. From the onset, this punchy, synth-driven number immediately pulls you in with its enticing, pulsing vibe. The production is as clean and crisp as it gets, and Zoe's dreamy, melodic vocals glisten and glide atop this upbeat and gorgeous gem of indie pop perfection.
And there's more on the way. Little Majorette reveals that a second single, "Les Chausseurs et Les Cueilleurs" (Hunters & Gatherers), is up next, followed by a new EP in June, entitled Waves.
SoundThread Music Blog recently caught up with Litte Majorette's own Zoe Durrant to chat about the re-launch of the band, the new single and more.
Congratulations on the new single release and welcome back! How did you and Peter Ågren connect across the distance (UK - Sweden) and decide to re-launch Little Majorette?
[ZD]: It was the first week of lockdown and I was listening through some unreleased music, we wrote the tracks while I was still living in Sweden and thankfully all the vocals were already recorded well. I reached out to Peter and shared my excitement about re-discovering them and he was also keen to continue our creative collaboration. I thought about different band names and then decided I really still like the name Little Majorette and I felt like I hadn't finished with LM, I wanted it to continue, so we agreed to keep going with a new set up, just me at the helm with the help of Peter and maybe it will lead to other collaborations in the future too.
Is there any particular theme or inspiration behind the new single, "Not Mine"?
[ZD]: It's about life's journey and how some journeys can really change you forever and you become somebody different because of what you have endured. It's like I am acting this way but its not me. I am like a stranger to myself kinda thing. As we grow older we have more of these kind of experiences and you get tougher and more resilient as a result.
Can you tell us about your songwriting/creative process? How do you and Peter each contribute to the final, finished Little Majorette songs?
[ZD]: My part was already done on these tracks, they just needed a few structural changes, mixing and mastering. But at the moment as we have restricted travel, any new ideas are sent over as instrumentals and I put down a vocal melody idea and then the lyrics follow then I will eventually need to record the vocal in the studio.
How did you get started in music? I remember reading somewhere that you got your start in music with the Sneaker Pimps?
[ZD]: I did, I met them through a friend and they invited me to sing some backing vocals on their Bloodsport album. I was a massive fan of their work at the time, I didn't tell them that obviously, but it felt a bit surreal sitting with them all in their studio, I had to keep pinching myself. They were all very cool, charming and funny.
During the Little Majorette pause, you remained active musically, contributing vocals to a variety of cover songs with Blank & Jones and Unclubbed, along with releasing your stunning solo EP, Island. Do you have plans to continue solo work down the road under your own name?
[ZD]: I worked on the unclubbed tracks many years ago when I first started and this brought me an Ibiza chillout following, I had lots of requests from DJ's to feature on tracks after that. I prefer to work under the name of a band rather than my own name. I have some other tracks that I would like to release one day that don't fit in with the Little Majorette vibe so there could be new material in the pipeline for another project.
Can you tell us a bit about Little Majorette's forthcoming Waves EP and any plans beyond?
[ZD]: I am taking it as it comes right now, and seeing how the EP is received, I am currently working with Peter on some new tracks and if it goes well then I will be heading to Stockholm to record the vocals and develop them further.
Little Majorette's next single "Les Chausseurs et Les Cueilleurs" (Hunters & Gatherers) features a bit of French in the vocals. Aside from English, how many other languages are you fluent in? Parlez vous francais? Kan du svenska?
[ZD]: Non Parlez Francais men jag kan svenska. I don't know why I am a little bit obsessed with 60s French style and the whole sexiness of the French language. everything sounds better when its spoken in French. :)
A big thank you to Zoe for providing the insightful replies!
And with that we leave you with the accompanying music video to "Not Mine," featuring Zoe herself and gorgeous, breezy, panoramic views and visuals from the Cornwall coastal area of England.
For more information about Little Majorette, follow the band on social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) and find Little Majorette's music on SoundCloud, Spotify, Bandcamp and Apple Music.